Not sure how much I'll be able to update with Thanksgiving coming up. I'll try to get some chapters published, but I don't know how many. If I don't update tomorrow, then Happy Thanksgiving!

Peter had taken his leave of the healing quarters as soon as he was declared healthy. It had been a mere day since the attempt on his life, but he was a quick healer. Lucy's cordial would have helped to have been out by yesterday, but it was difficult to say whether it would work for poison. The cordial only works to cure injuries; it can't clear the bloodstream of poison, but it can mend some of the affects caused by it.

The dungeon's door cane into view and Peter was greeted by the guard, Zakai, with a bow, "Your Majesty."

Zakai used to be part of Edmund's guard, but he was moved to prison duty a couple weeks ago because of his thievery of Narnian weapons, from the vault. Zakai had been a respectful guard, for the most part, but he definitely had his own morals.

Peter stood a little higher, "I would like to visit a prisoner."

"If you're here for that boy, Sire, he's in cell number four." The minotaur said.

Peter nodded and, without a word, passed by into the dungeons. He walked down the rows as far as Zakai had said and stopped. If he hadn't been told so, Peter wouldn't have thought there wasn't anybody in the cell. It was dark inside and completely silent. He had to squint his eyes to see the figure sitting in the dark against the opposite wall. The figure had his head leaned back against the stone. Peter could see only Edmund's chin and his lips underneath the dark hood.

"Ed?"

Edmund's head snapped upwards, his hood falling back and eyes meeting Peter's, "Peter?" He stood and scrambled up to the bars, grabbing hold and peering through at him, "You're okay?"

Peter smiled at his brother's concern, "I'm fine, Ed. It was nothing to be worried about."

Edmund's face contained none of the humor that Peter held in his eyes, "You were poisoned! Of course I was worried! You're going to have to be more careful, now. This is the second time your life has been put in danger; something tells me that they will not fail again."

"I'm going to be on my guard this time. Only my most trusted subjects will be allowed to even be near my food."

Edmund sighed, "It's not just the food. What if they try something else?"

"Then my guards would stop them. I'm perfectly safe."

"Peter," Edmund began, "I'm not sure of it, but I think that there may be a traitor in the guard."

"A traitor? What do you mean?"

Narnia's guard was made up of the most loyal soldiers in the land. Any creature that showed any signs of disloyalty or scandal was either removed or demoted to a lesser post, so it seemed very troubling to consider that one of them might be plotting against their rulers and fraternizing with the enemy.

"I'd first begun to have my suspicions when Judas received his invitation here."

Peter furrowed his blonde eyebrows, "I didn't invite him."

"That's what I mean. I knew you wouldn't, and Susan and Lucy despise the man. I recall him saying that he may have an unexpected ally. I couldn't think of anybody that would have the power to send out letters to a king that wasn't in the guard." Edmund concluded, "It was when you fell ill that it was brought back to my attention. Whoever it is, must be the one who poisoned you. Any Calormene wouldn't be allowed near your drink."

"You're right, Ed. And it must be someone from the Royal Guard, no less. Anybody lower than that wouldn't have the power to send to kings. Do you know what raven sent it?"

Edmund shook his head, "I had never seen it before. I believe it was unintelligent."

"Of course it was. Whoever it is is smart enough to know as much."

"Susan used to spend time with some of the soldiers in archery. Perhaps she might have an idea on who it is."

Peter inwardly groaned and rubbed his neck, "Yeah, about that."

Edmund gave him 'the look', "What happened?"

"Well, She was upset that I didn't tell her about the first poisoning attempt. When I finally got her to come around, she found out that I was keeping something else from her."

"And what's that?"

Peter looked him straight in the eyes, "You... I refused to tell her that you're alive, and then she left. I don't think she'll want to talk."

"Pete, you're gonna have to talk to her. Either that, or find a way to do it without her and fast. The traitor won't wait forever."

This was going to be harder than he thought. When Susan held a grudge, she held it for a long time. She wouldn't give him a chance a to speak until he apologized, and he couldn't apologize without telling her his secret. He would have to find another way.

"And what about me?" Edmund's voice broke Peter out of his thoughts.

"Uh... I hadn't thought that far ahead."

"Once you are able to find the real culprit, you won't be allowed to keep me here anymore. Judas will come for me and I'll not see you again." Edmund sounded so helpless. It broke Peter's heart to see him this way. Edmund was always the optimistic one of them both. He always knew what to say... until now, that is.

"No." Peter said in the most confident voice he could muster, "I will not let that happen. I'm not going to lose you. Not again. I've spent so much time letting myself waste away, that I've overlooked the needs and problems of my people. I let you get taken. I thought I'd lost you, Ed. It hurt the worst because we parted with angry words. I wished every day that I could take them back and apologize. Now that you're here, it seems surreal."

Edmund furrowed his brow, "What angry words?"

Peter matched his little brother's look, "We had a fight before you left. I was upset that you had entered the Western Wood with no guard. Don't you remember?"

"Pete," Edmund began, "I was always doing things that deserved a scolding. I could never hold anything against you when I deserved what I got."

"I thought that my last memory of you would be the two of us fighting. I should have just let you have it your way."

Edmund snickered, "And what kind of brother would you be if you let me go into danger with no one to defend me? It's your job to protect us, remember?"

"And what a great job I'm doing at it." Peter said in a sarcastic tone.

"You are." Peter's little brother began, "You couldn't have known what would happen. It was supposed to be routine and something went wrong."

"That's not the way I felt when they brought your body back. Or what we believed was your body." Peter thought for a moment, "Whose body was brought back if you're still alive?"

Edmund glanced away, as if remembering a sad, distant memory, "It's a long story."

"I've got time."